If laws relating to the use of narcotic substances, environmental pollution, cyber crimes and offences against women were taught as part of the school curriculum, would it be great? Or not? We will find out soon enough, as the Kerala government is deliberating on this.
The state government is considering teaching laws like these to school students. The aim is to make them aware of their rights and how to safeguard the same. State General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that, presently, Constitutional rights, principles and duties are taught in high school but those are not enough and there is a need to teach students their rights as well.
He opined that to turn children into responsible and upstanding citizens of tomorrow, it was necessary to include the study of certain laws as part of their education. The Minister made these statements while responding to a submission by CPI MLA VR Sunil Kumar in the state assembly on August 29 in this regard, as per a PTI report.
MLA Kumar had submitted that school children should be taught about various laws, like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and legal provisions against dowry and use of drugs. He suggested that children must be aware of the laws along with the provisions of punishments under them.
According to him, the laws should be introduced in the curriculum from high school onwards so that by the time the students completed Class XII, they would be able to differentiate between legal and illegal. Minister Sivankutty agreed with these suggestions.
He said that the school education policy was undergoing a consolidated reform and public discussions would be held to invite views on what should be included in the school curriculum. "As part of the process, inclusion of study of law in the education policy would also be considered," he said, as per PTI.
